Police Witness Armed Robbery, Arrest Suspects

(Updated at 3:10 p.m.) Police arrested three men who they reportedly observed attacking and robbing a pedestrian last night.

Just before midnight on Tuesday (February 5), officers observed three individuals acting suspiciously around Wilson Blvd. and N. Monroe Street. Police say the men were walking around the area, looking into cars and loitering on the corner. They then reportedly entered a Jeep Wrangler and police followed the vehicle from a distance.

Police observed the vehicle cruising throughout the Ballston and Clarendon neighborhoods, making U-turns for no apparent reason. The vehicle then pulled into a parking spot at the Gold’s Gym near N. Pollard Street, where two of the men exited the vehicle and crossed the street. The officers stopped and continued to watch the subjects.

One of the suspects allegedly began following a lone man walking down the street. The victim turned around and the suspect then reportedly grabbed him, showed a gun and demanded money. Police say the second suspect punched the victim in the face several times until he fell to the ground. The victim handed over his wallet and cell phone to the attackers, who officers say fled in the Jeep.

Police performed a traffic stop on the Jeep and took the suspects into custody without incident.

“The officers were observing from a safe distance and when the suspects engaged in the criminal act, they responded immediately,” said Arlington County Police Department spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. “The amount of time from when the criminal act occurred and the suspects fleeing the scene was just seconds. We were able to take them into custody a short distance away.”

The victim, who had been walking home and was nearly at his building, ran inside to call police, unaware that his alleged attackers had already been apprehended.

The three subjects have been charged with robbery. They are 32-year-old Oscar Alfredo Morant Nunez of Fairfax, 19-year-old Christopher Louise Songer of Woodbridge, and 18-year-old Elder Ramirez-Miranda of Vienna.

The victim did not need to be treated for injuries and his belongings were returned to him.